Last  summer, guidance counselor Colleen Petty read “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens.

“I loved how it felt like I was right there in the story,” Petty said. “I really could imagine that I was standing on the bayou.”

The book is about a young woman named Kya, who is left to raise herself in the marshes of North Carolina when her family abandons her at a young age. She is involved in the murder of a rich man but was proven innocent. After she dies, it is discovered that she was the killer after all.

“I needed something to read by the pool, and I just love the setting of the book,” Petty said 

Delia Owens has a flair for nature writing, and her book “Where the Crawdads Sing” topped The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2019 for 25 non-consecutive weeks. She also wrote “Secrets of The Savannah.”

“I would say this book is definitely for adults or older teens,” Petty said. “It wouldn’t be rated R but probably not exactly [rated] G either.”

If you enjoy plot twists and descriptive settings check out “Where the Crawdads Sing.”